Purdue University

Purdue University Athletics
900 John R. Wooden Dr - Mackey Arena, Rm 2315 West Lafayette, IN 47907

Division 1 Indiana Midwest

Public Very Large National competitor

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Magali Frezzotti

Magali (Maggie) Frezzotti (pronounced Frez-OH-tee) was named head coach of the Purdue softball team by vice president and director of athletics Mike Bobinski on June 16, 2023. With the announcement, Frezzotti becomes the fifth head coach in program history after serving as an assistant for the Boilermakers the last two years.

Under Frezzotti’s guidance, the Boilermakers have posted two of their strongest defensive efforts to date, including Purdue’s second-highest fielding % in program history at .971%.

“I am beyond excited and honored for this opportunity,” said Frezzotti. “I want to thank Director of Athletics Mike Bobinski, Deputy Athletics Director Tiffini Grimes and President Mung Chiang for their trust and support of my vision for Purdue softball. Purdue Athletics has a strong tradition of excellence, championships and success, and I have every intention to build upon that legacy. I am overjoyed at the opportunity to coach this group of women and connect with alums in West Lafayette over the coming years. I have high expectations for Boilermaker softball and I am very much looking forward to hitting the ground running. Boiler up, hammer down and Hail Purdue.”

The Purdue defense has accumulated 2,096 putouts, 910 assists and 27 double plays in her two seasons on the Boilermaker staff. The showing includes one of the best marks by a Big Ten defense last season, with the team racking up 479 assists, second-most in the league.

“Coach Frezzotti’s commitment to competitive excellence, knowledge of the game, and relationship with our student-athletes will position her to make an immediate and positive impact on our softball program,” said Mike Bobinski, Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. “Her passion for Purdue and vision for the growth and development of our student-athletes was apparent from our first conversation and we’re excited to see the program thrive under her leadership.”

Frezzotti’s success in player development is seen in an NFCA All-American, two All-Region honorees and a Newcomer of the Year, all since 2019.

“Magui is a fantastic person and the ultimate coach,” said Carol Hutchins, the winningest coach in NCAA softball history. “She has years of relevant softball experience, but her biggest strength is her relationship building and her straightforward approach to teaching the game. She is a player’s coach and a tremendous human being. The sky is the limit with Magui.”

Frezzotti came to Purdue from Montana, where she was the assistant softball coach from September 2018 to August 2021. While with the Grizzlies, she was responsible for the development of hitters and catchers, while assisting with infielders. Defensively, Frezzotti oversaw the catcher's defensive skills, leading to improvements in footwork, glove positioning, hop-reading and more.

While with Montana, Frezzotti helped the Grizzlies to a program-best 16-3 record at home, a third-place finish in the Big Sky Conference during her inaugural year in 2019 and helped the program to more than 55 wins under her tutelage.

Prior to her time at Montana, Frezzotti's previous coaching stops include Eastern Michigan as an assistant coach, Concordia as a graduate assistant and Michigan. While in Ann Arbor from 2016-2017, Frezzotti was a catchers development consultant, organized camp logistics, official visits and more.

An accomplished player on the world stage, the Argentina native played for the Argentina National Team for 13 years, where she not only served as team captain, but competed in the World Cup in 2015, the Pan American Championships (2005, ’06, ’13, ’17), the Pan American Games (2007, ’10) and the World Championships (2010, ’12). Frezzotti’s success culminated in being named to the All-Tournament team as a catcher at the 2017 Women's Softball Pan American Championship, held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Outside of coaching, the Boilermaker founded Lineup Latino, which aimed to help the softball community in Latin America. Frezzotti created a platform to connect the softball community in Latin America with resources in the U.S. and across the world. Its mission is to educate, empower and prepare softball players from Latin America and the Caribbean to become a better version of themselves, on and off the field, for the rest of their lives.

Frezzotti earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Instituto Numero 1 Dr. Enrique Romero Brest in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2012, a master's degree in student personnel administration in higher education from Concordia in 2017 and a master's degree in public administration from Montana in 2020. Frezzotti is joined in West Lafayette by her wife, Haley Frezzotti-Hostetler, whose grandfather is a Purdue graduate.

Frezzotti’s first year at the helm will coincide with the 30th season of Purdue softball, which played its inaugural game in March of 1994.

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Jordan Richwood

Head softball coach Magali Frezzotti announced the final addition to her coaching staff with the hiring of assistant coach Jordan Richwood in August 2023. Richwood will oversee the Boilermaker pitching staff.

Richwood will oversee the team's pitching staff.

"I am excited about the addition of Coach Richwood to our coaching staff," Frezzotti said. "Jordan has a progressive and creative approach to pitching development, and I cannot wait to see what she does with our pitching staff. She brings a great balance between science and analytics, while also understanding the human-element of coaching. Our student-athletes are going to be benefit tremendously from being coached by Coach Richwood."

Richwood joins the Boilermakers from S2 Breakthrough Softball Facility in Romeoville, Illinois, where she served as pitching coach since 2020. Managing and creating 10-plus pitcher's training programs, she oversaw assessments covering mobility, movement and more while working to analyze and improve pitcher performance.

Prior to her time at S2 Breakthrough, she was a member of the Bucknell's coaching staff, where she also oversaw pitching from 2019-2020. Richwood came to the Bison after previously serving as an assistant with the softball teams at Christian Brothers and at Memphis, following a standout playing career with the Tigers.

Memphis won 59 games during the two seasons that Richwood was on the staff, including a 37-21 mark in 2018. Richwood primarily developed and coached the Tigers' outfielders, while also working with the pitching staff and managing the team's academic needs.

From 2015-18, Richwood served as a graduate assistant coach at Christian Brothers, teaching and coaching the pitching staff. She also oversaw the team's travel plans, academic progress, and directed the program's social media efforts.

Richwood also served as a pitching instructor at the Legends Baseball and Softball Facility in Atoka, Tenn. from 2016-18, where she worked with young athletes' mechanics and taught the basics of softball pitching. As an instructor, Richwood emphasized mental preparation and putting athletes in game situations through challenging mental and physical drills.

As a player, Richwood appeared in 117 games as a pitcher for the Memphis Tigers from 2012-15, totaling 26 wins, four saves, and 430 strikeouts. In 2012 she was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team after pitching nine complete games and recording 10-plus strikeouts three times. As a senior, Richwood captured a career-high 11 wins and pitched five shutouts.

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Heather Gelbard

Heather Gelbard was hired by head coach Magali Frezzotti on August 8, 2023.

In her role as assistant coach, Gelbard will oversee the Boilermakers' offensive efforts in addition to recruitment. Coming off two years at Georgia Southern where she held a similar role, Gelbard was primarily responsible for overseeing the team's hitting, culminating in the program's most triples since 2017, the most walks since 2019 and the most runs scored in a single conference game since 2015.

"I'm excited to welcome Coach Gelbard and her family to West Lafayette," Frezzotti said. "She is a smart, curious, creative and knowledgeable coach with high expectations for Purdue softball. She adds both experience and expertise to our staff and will serve as our recruiting coordinator. Most importantly, she is passionate about serving this generation of student-athletes and helping them reach their potential."

Prior to her time at Georgia Southern, Gelbard was a volunteer coach at South Carolina for two seasons (2019-2021). During her stint, she worked to develop two All-SEC and NFCA All-Southeast Region selections, an NFCA All-American and two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans with a primary focus on team defense and hitting.

A former All-ACC and Academic All-American student-athlete at NC State, Gelbard began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Barry University (2007-09), where she guided her team to a DII World Series berth in 2008. She was an assistant coach at Florida Atlantic from 2010-16 before being named head coach at UMBC from 2016-18. Gelbard also served as the interim head coach at Florida International (FIU) for a season before joining the Gamecocks staff as a volunteer coach.

Gelbard graduated from NC State with a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2007. Currently, she owns multiple Wolfpack records, including hits (261), games started (256), at-bats (834). She earned her master's degree in exercise science with a concentration in sports psychology from Barry in 2009.

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Jordyn Rudd-Lee

Jordyn Rudd was hired by head coach Magali Frezzotti on August 8, 2023.

A four-time All-Big Ten and three-time All-Defensive Team honoree, Rudd played in every game of her collegiate career at Northwestern (2019-2023). Other honors include 2022 Softball America National Defensive Player of the Year, 2022 Johnny Bench Award which is presented to the best female catcher in the nation, and Rawlings Gold Glove Award. As the first catcher in Big Ten history to be named First Team All-Big Ten in her first three seasons, Rudd closed her career with a .332 batting average, 247 hits, 50 doubles and 297 total bases.

"I'm thrilled to welcome Coach Rudd to our staff," Frezzotti said. "A Gold Glove Winner and a standout five-year starter and leader at Northwestern. Jordyn's softball IQ, leadership skills and winning mentality will have an immediate impact on our program."

A catalyst for success, Rudd guided her team to two consecutive NCAA Regional titles, the Big Ten tournament title (2023) and two straight Big Ten regular-season crowns during her career at Northwestern.